Home gym vs The gym

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corey_e
corey_e Posts: 162
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently got an elliptical so I can continue to work out in the mornings before I go to work. My gym doesn't open early enough for me to get in before work. So my plan now is to do strength training after work. I fear I might not stick with it that since the commute home can be pretty bad with traffic. So then I started thinking maybe I could buy weights and work out at home in the evening. Does anyone have a "home gym" and if so are you finding it works? I really love the machines at the gym and the results I am getting. Could I really get results at home without machines? :indifferent:

Replies

  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
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    I've lost 40lbs & i've never seen the inside of a gym.
  • wyze
    wyze Posts: 248
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    i dont have a home gym in the sense of the word, but what i do have are exercise dvd's small hand weights, resistance bands and leg weights. I have not worked out in a gym since i started my journey and i have still lost the pounds. Remember, it is you doing the exercise and not the machines. If you are dedicated to losing the weight, you will work out, gym or no gym.

    PS: i dont have anything against the gym, i just prefer working out at home cos i can do the workouts according to my schedule
  • appleshells
    appleshells Posts: 165
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    I have a treadmill. I parked it in my bedroom so I will use it. I leave for work at 5am and get home at 9pm (3 days a week). I found myself making excuses for going to the gym that late but I will generally jump on the treadmill for at least 30 min after work (most days). I have free weights I use too. I think I work out better at home because I am not afraid of what people will think or how ridiculous I may look. I am actually running on the treadmill now, something I was too shy to do at the gym.
  • Mary830
    Mary830 Posts: 64
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    I have a home gym that we have built up over the years, but I also have an overly-large house and plenty of room for it. I love it and I do use it. But *location* is important.

    We started with the gym in the basement, and I never went down there. Then it was in a room off of the laundry room and, while I used it more, it was "out of sight, out of mind" most days.

    Now it's in our den- which the the room I enter when I am coming in to the house. I walk inside and see my treadmill, rower, weights, etc... and I cannot ignore them! Plus, since it's in very visible part of the house- I keep it cleaned up (before the treadmill would sometimes end up as extra "storage" space.

    I think you can get some amazing results working out at home. I dropped form 178-125 a few years ago and never set foot inside a "real" gym.
  • ChefJenn
    ChefJenn Posts: 350 Member
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    i have an elliptical and a full 4 sided weight lift system. and I have dumbbells that I can change the weights on them to be free weights.
    I do better at home working out, I can turn the radio on as loud as I want. I can wear what ever I want and I yell at my self to push thru another set!!!!
  • jaybaileys
    jaybaileys Posts: 317
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    You can easily recreate at home what you have at a gym with what you said. Add aketllebell or 2 and with the dumbells and elliptical youll have everything you need. Maybe add a program like Enter the Kettlebell and Chalene Extreme or P90X to help with the program and youll be golden!
  • Mary830
    Mary830 Posts: 64
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    and I yell at my self to push thru another set!!!!

    I'm one of those I talk to myself when I am working out! :bigsmile:
  • NoExcuseTina
    NoExcuseTina Posts: 506 Member
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    we have a home gym and I have been working out for almost a year...my hubby and I do it together...we have it at home because of my hubby's work schedule...a few free weights and a bench (or good fitness ball) and you can do a LOT of exercises...add in some squats and you have a whole body workout!

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  • mbastuk
    mbastuk Posts: 34 Member
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    We have set up a home gym because it wasn't practical to get to an actual gym which wasted money. We bought an elliptical, treadmill and hooked up the bike to a stationary trainer. For strength training, I went with Bodylastics resistance bands..I'm really happy with them - paid about $100 for the set - they are easy to use and easy to stash away. Free weights can get pricey either buying the individual weights or combined sets like Powerblocks.....
  • syoung76
    syoung76 Posts: 19
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    All I know is that if I don't get out of the house my workout time gets taken up chasing the kids around, or something. To me the fact that I pay for the gym also helps, it makes me feel like I'm not getting my $ worth if I don't workout. Of course having 12 people in the house makes getting out for a workout a real blessing! A home gym just wouldn't work for me. I do wish I had the privacy of a home gym, I hate working out near people as I am such a novice. I am trying to work up to jogging and it's just embarassing the way I am gasping after a 2 minute jog...lol. In that instance a home ym would be great. - Shannon
  • starboardzor
    starboardzor Posts: 312
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    I have free weights, a mat, and a pull up bar (i can't do a single one unassisted, but I use a chair for support) and I've had incredible results. I had a gym membership where I saw.. results, but they were only okay and I felt like I hit a plateau pretty quickly. I spent 1500 on my gym membership over two years and it was a total waste of money. Man I wish I had that money back right now.

    Know what you mean about traffic. I deal with heavy traffic daily and it stinks =(
  • ITTYbitty04
    ITTYbitty04 Posts: 75 Member
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    Hi Corey, I have a home gym and an elliptical also. I have just started really using our home gym and am trying to be serious about sticking to a plan. I am the type of person who likes to do things in a group and at the big commercial gyms but decided not to renew my membership because i have everything I need at home. I just have to motivate myself to get up and do it.

    So far I have stuck with it for 3 weeks and think i am making good progress. I visited curves and a gym in my area that does those 30 minute cuircuit traing programs and copied what they did in there. I have weights , dumbbells, a stationary bike, tension bands, a mini trampoloine, a rebook stepper, a punching bag and a few other odds and ends and I am using them at least 3 days a week with cardio on the days that I don't do the cuircuit training.

    I'm not sure what equipment you have but the elliptical is a great start to burn those calories, feel free to take a look at my exercises to see if you'd like to try to do something similar. I haven' done the cuircuit traing this last week so you may have to go back over a week to see my workout routine. I usually alternate a cardio exercise with the strength training and I do the curicuit 2 times and I am usually done in about 40- 50 minutes.

    feel free to add me as a friend an I can give any suggestions or motivation you may need! hope this answers you question! have a great day!
  • skinnyme125
    skinnyme125 Posts: 396 Member
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    free weights work the body in a much more even way then machine weights any day. But it is easier to have machine weights at home as they take up lots less room. But it can be very easy to set up a home gym and it doesnt have to cost you an arm and a leg. Get one of those big ball things and some resistance bands and some ankle weights and a weight vest, a yoga mat as this will be good for more than yoga. if you have netflix you can watch some work out videos and if you have a wii then the wii fit is fun plus all the other work outs you can get for the wii. The public library will have some work out videos you can check out for free and then you can change up your work out every couple of weeks. Just some ideas to get you on the roll. Have fun with it and make it work for you. :)
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
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    We have a treadmill and are getting a bow flex today. I'd much rather work out at home because I like to sing loud and dance while walking on my treadmill.
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    I do everything at home. I have a treadmill, a bench, and a set of powerblocks, which are adjustable dumbells. I think a real gym would give me more exercises choices, but as it stands, i can still work every muscle group to failure with what i have here.
  • corey_e
    corey_e Posts: 162
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    I do have the shred dvd which I have been avoiding because Jillian tried to kill me the first time I tried. Perhaps I'll start doing more at home for a few weeks and see how it goes and if it goes well cancel my membership. Thanks for all the advice, sounds like everyone works out at home and is seeing great results! Plus I wouldn't have to wait for machines or showers at the gym! :bigsmile:

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